Bobby's Valentine
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: Bobby finds an anonymous valentine outside of his door and comes to a wild conclusion about the sender.


**Bobby's Valentine**

Bobby Drake had not been looking forward to Valentine's Day.

It wasn't that he opposed the idea of celebrating love with someone special. That was a nice idea in itself. But not having anyone to celebrate it with was downright depressing.

When the dreaded day arrived, he was one of the first people awake in the mansion, a rarity. He deposited the obligatory boxes of candy outside of his friends' doors, lingering outside of Kitty's room before his common sense kicked in and told him to get out of there.

Once he arrived in the kitchen, Bobby helped himself to a bowl of Lucky Charms, glaring at the heart–shaped marshmallows he scooped up.

"Morning!" Kitty greeted cheerfully as she strode into the kitchen. Milk dribbled down Bobby's chin – her pajama shorts were very, very small – and he groaned softly before wiping it away. Kitty's little smirk told him he hadn't been quick enough. Bobby moaned again as Kitty busied herself with the coffee pot.

'_No wonder she likes Piotr,'_ he thought miserably. _'Real smooth, Drake.'_

The brunette joined him at the table with her coffee, still smiling. Bobby wondered why she was in such a good mood this morning and then decided it probably had something to do with Piotr and therefore he didn't want to know. He pushed the thought from his mind, not wanting to sulk over Kitty's feelings for the older mutant.

When Bobby had finished his cereal, Kitty placed her hand on top of his. "Thanks for the almond roca, Bobby. It's my favorite."

"Uh, yeah…I remembered," Bobby stuttered, looking sheepish.

"You always do," Kitty said with a definite note of fondness in her tone. "You're sweet like that." She finished her coffee and got up from the table, pausing to put her cup in the sink. As Kitty passed her still seated friend on her way out, she rested her hand on his shoulder. "Have a good day, Bobby."

The blond boy stared after his friend. What had gotten into her?

0o0o0o0

After a particularly grueling Danger Room session, the disgruntled Bobby made his way back to his room. He was hoping for a nap before lunch, if only to put off facing the residents who had someone to share Valentine's with. Being around any couple right now would only make him more miserable.

When Bobby arrived in front of his bedroom door, something caught his eye.

He bent to pick up a plain white envelope marked with his name. He didn't recognize the handwriting, a neat block print. Puzzled, he opened the envelope to find a handmade card.

Bobby glanced around. There was no one else in the hallway with him, but he still wanted to examine the card in private. The blond boy slipped inside his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Whoever had made it had certainly put a lot of effort into it, Bobby noticed. His valentine was made of construction paper, blue with a yellow X on the front cover. On the left inside page was a small picture of him in his uniform.

On the other side someone had written a message. Bobby noted that the writing was the same as the one on the envelope. Very curious as to who had left him such a special valentine, Bobby studied the note.

_This must seem silly to you, Bobby. I should just tell you how I feel to your face instead of in this card. But every time I try, I lose my nerve. So I want you to know that I care about you, more than you probably realize. You're the sweetest guy I know, and you never fail to make me laugh. I hope you have a great Valentine's._

_I'd like to try to say all of this to you in person one last time. If you'd like to know who I am, meet me in the garden at eight o'clock tonight. If you don't…I still think you're really something special._

_Love,_

_Anonymous_

The first thing Bobby thought was that it was a joke.

And then the young mutant dismissed the thought. None of his teammates would do something like that to him. It would have been too hurtful, even by his prank standards. No, this was real. Someone really had these feelings for him. But who?

If he was going to be honest with himself, he knew who he _wanted_ it to be from. Bobby was instantly bombarded by a hundred memories of his best friend. Much as the blond mutant wanted this valentine to be from Kitty, he highly doubted it was. She'd had a very obvious crush on Piotr for ages, even though he was still in Russia with his family. Bobby knew that Kitty still kept in touch with Piotr, and since his brunette teammate was always careful not to discuss her love life in front of him, Bobby could only assume she still harbored feelings for Colossus.

Bobby was fine with that. Or at least he told himself he was. But every now and then he couldn't help but daydream about what a romantic relationship with Kitty would be like.

Looking back at the card in his hand, Iceman tried to decide who it was from. Jean was ruled out by default, as was Ororo. Both viewed him as a younger brother, and in turn he thought of them as his older sisters.

Rogue detested Valentine's Day, and anonymity was definitely not her style. Bobby decided it was safe to rule her out as well.

He was down to two options, one that excited him and one that was very unsettling. Option One was none other than Kitty Pryde, his best friend. While he really hoped this was the case, Bobby honestly didn't believe she had been the one to leave him the card. Kitty had always viewed him as a pal, her buddy.

Option Two was a bit more disturbing. Other than Kitty, Tildie was the only girl Bobby could not eliminate from his list.

The more Bobby considered this, the more it made sense to him. Tildie was very much a twelve–year–old girl. She liked the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. She giggled all the time. And she absolutely adored Kitty and Rogue, tagging along with them whenever possible. It made perfect sense for Tildie to have a crush on him, a cute older guy.

Bobby felt bad for the poor girl. He knew what it was like to want someone who didn't return the feeling. And Tildie was a nice girl…but she was _far_ too young for him. He'd have to let her down gently.

He set his valentine on his nightstand before flopping face first into his pillows. As he settled in for a rest, Bobby decided he'd been right. Valentine's Day was a complete waste of a holiday.

0o0o0o0

The blond boy woke from his nap about an hour later. A plan had formed in his mind as he'd drifted off to sleep, and he was eager to get going with it. Bobby glanced at the card on his bedside table before exiting his room.

He found Tildie in the lounge, watching _Sonny With a Chance_ on the Disney Channel. She looked entertained, so he decided to keep quiet for the moment. _'Poor thing,'_ Bobby mused, _'She has no idea what's about to hit her.'_

Someone poked him. Bobby let out a tiny yelp and looked down to see Kitty standing at his side. "What was that for?" he demanded with a scowl on his face.

Kitty shrugged. "Dunno. _What_ are you doing standing here, anyway? It looks really weird." She crossed her arms over her chest, and Bobby knew he was not going to get away without answering her. But he also didn't want to embarrass the preteen girl in the room with them. It wouldn't be fair to Tildie for him to blab to Kitty about her crush on him.

"Well? Are you pining after little girls now, Drake?" Kitty teased, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Of course not, _Pryde_," Bobby scoffed, "I just…"

Tildie gave an aggravated sigh as she hit the mute button on the TV remote. She turned to look at the older teens lingering in the doorway. "Hey lovebirds, knock it off. I'm watching something." She turned back to the television and turned the volume up.

Bobby gave Kitty a "watch this" type of look, and Kitty smirked. The blond boy strode across the room to where Tildie was sitting and plopped down next to her. "Hi, Tildie," he said in an enthusiastic tone, "How's your day been? Did you like your candy?"

The younger girl gave him a weird look, as if trying to figure out exactly what he was up to. "Yeah. It was fine. Thanks. I think."

"Great," Bobby replied, sounding absolutely thrilled for her. "Hey, do you want some ice cream Tildie?"

She nodded. "That sounds good. Will you bring me some?"

Bobby stood and made his way across the room. Kitty looked like she was trying hard not to burst into laughter. Iceman narrowed his eyes at her. "She's just a kid, Kitty," Bobby hissed as he left.

When he came back a few minutes later with two bowls of ice cream, the TV had been turned off and Tildie was gone. Kitty had taken the younger girl's seat on the couch. Bobby looked confused as he joined his best friend. "Where did Tildie go?"

Kitty giggled and helped herself to one of the bowls of ice cream. After she'd eaten a few bites, she answered Bobby's question. "Where do you think she went? She took off because you were acting like a lunatic. What was up with that?" Kitty's blue–gray eyes were no longer mocking, but deeply curious.

Bobby shook his head. "Don't worry about it. She's just shy."

His companion snorted. "Tildie is _not_ shy. She can talk a mile a minute. I think it's just _you._" Kitty's face wore that teasing expression once more. Then she playfully bumped against the blond boy next to her. Kitty apparently found this to be very comfortable because she settled in to relax with him.

Bobby's breathing hitched. Kitty was being very affectionate with him today. Much as he liked the attention he was receiving, it was a bit strange. He would have figured she'd be spending Valentine's Day on the phone with Piotr, giggling.

In the end though, he chose not to question Kitty's actions. Once he'd finished his ice cream and had placed the bowl on the coffee table, he casually slid his arm around Kitty's shoulders. The brunette girl closed her eyes, seemingly content to be so close to him. His slightly chilly temperature in human form never bothered her.

Bobby wished once more that his valentine could have been sent by Kitty.

0o0o0o0

Eventually the pair of friends parted. Kitty mumbled something about talking to Jean as she left in a hurry. Bobby could only stare after her, as he often did. He could never quite figure kitty out. She could be detached and focused on the mission one minute and teasing and warm the next. Just when Bobby was sure he would be able to read her moods, she changed it up on him. It was admittedly tiring, but it was also one of the qualities he liked best about her.

He idled the next few hours away by trying to figure out what he was going to tell Tildie. He'd come to the conclusion she had left the room earlier because of Kitty's presence. It was natural that the young girl wouldn't want an audience; she hadn't even signed her name on the card.

Bobby decided to go with a straight forward approach. He'd simply tell her he was not interested in her and to move on. He'd be gentle, of course. He had a good heart, and he'd never be intentionally cruel, especially to a girl. From there, he'd just have to hope for the best.

Right before eight o'clock, Bobby left his room. It was fairly quiet in the mansion, the blond mutant noticed as he made his way through the halls. That was good; he wouldn't have to explain why he was suddenly taking an interest in Storm's garden.

Iceman should have known it wouldn't have been that easy. As he drew close to the door closest to the yard, he ran into Kitty. "Oh hey, you shouldn't go outside," Bobby said quickly. "See you later."

Kitty slid neatly into his path, blocking Bobby from reaching the door. "Why shouldn't I go outside?"

She just _had_ to pick this moment to be difficult. "Kitty, please. Just move so I can get to the garden."

"Do you have a hot date or something?"

Bobby sighed. "Look, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Of course, Bobby. You know you can trust me."

"Tildie made me a valentine. She didn't sign it, but she wants me to meet her outside. I have to go so I can tell her it's not going to be happening."

Kitty's eyes were wide as she looked up at him. "Bobby, that wasn't from Tildie."

He shook his head. "Don't. I have to go. It'll be really bad if I don't show up to meet her."

Shadowcat continued to block Bobby's way. "I'm telling you, Tildie didn't leave you that anonymous card."

"How do you know?"

"Because it was me!" And with that, she seized his hand and tugged him through the door.

Outside of the mansion, Bobby was gaping at her. "It was you?" he asked incredulously. "But that doesn't make any sense…"

Kitty looked offended. "Why doesn't it make sense?"

"For starters, you've liked Piotr since you me him. And well…that's about it, actually." Bobby shook his head again, very confused.

She smiled slightly. "I had a crush on Piotr years ago, Bobby. It doesn't mean that he's the only guy I'm ever going to like for the rest of my life." Kitty nudged him. "And give yourself some credit, alright? I meant those things that I wrote."

Bobby could hardly dare to believe what Kitty had just told him. "You like me," he said finally. She nodded. "And I'm not dreaming." She shook her head. "Then there's just one thing left for me to do."

"What's that?"

He grabbed Kitty in one of his signature bear hugs. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kitty." He kissed the top of her head.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bobby."

He grinned. Maybe thus wasn't such a bad holiday after all.


End file.
